Bible Verses

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and all the abusive and blasphemous things they say; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit and His power [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin [a sin which is unforgivable in this present age as well as in the age to come]”— [Jesus said this] because the scribes and Pharisees were [attributing His miracles to Satan by] saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

…But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Vidoes

Jewels of Judaism

Ki Teitzei

What is the sin that leads to death? – Ki TeitzeiThere are some verses in the Bible that are difficult to understand. 1 John 5:16 is one of those verses. What is the sin that leads to death? Watch this video now to learn a reasonable answer to this question from this week’s Torah Portion.Link

Michael Heiser

What is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Channel :- Sentinel Apologetics
Date Published :- 2017-June-9thLink

31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but [a]blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to

Mark 3:28

Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”…

Luke 12:-11

But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
When you are brought before the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say.…

Consciously and deliberately showing contempt for the Power of God

Miracles by Holy Spirit

Claimed to be pagan deity

Considered and deliberate

Knew it was not true

Done for Political Reason

Jewels of Judaism

What is the sin that leads to death? – Ki Teitzei

1st John 5:6

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not to death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not to death. There is a sin to death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Introduction

Last week, I went to the House of Worship to work on my ministry. But, unfortunately, I did not have the key to one of the rooms that I needed access to. And, so I sat in on a bible studies discussion.

The facilitator was the gentleman that had picked me up from the train station and a fellow ministry worker as myself. And, so we talked about how our Church is actually quite liberally.

One of its more modern ways is that it allows and encourages women pastors and seniors.

The debate about whether a woman is permitted to be a pastor continues to intensify. Although there is scant historical precedent for it, many today claim that either men or women may be pastors. Throughout the centuries, Christian theologians have reflected on this issue, and the preponderance of them have concluded that the pastoral role is exclusively assigned to men. This has been the position of the Southern Baptist Convention since its earliest days, though a few Southern Baptist churches have disagreed and installed women pastors. In the current discussions of gender roles, there is a need for clear thinking about what the Bible says.

The question requires careful analysis. Southern Baptists have claimed that their doctrinal positions were either taught in the Bible or were, at the least, not contrary to the explicit teachings of Scripture. And so it is here. This article addresses some of the larger concerns revolving about the issue of women serving as pastors. The exegesis of specific texts is a necessary starting point for the discussion, but the issue goes beyond isolated texts. There is a consistent pattern of biblical teaching on the subject. Our approach will be to identify these patterns and deal with the greater issues they raise. This discussion, which is necessarily brief, should be complemented by a serious and detailed exegesis of the relevant texts.

Biblical Texts

While the Bible does not support the practice of women serving as pastors, numerous passages speak clearly and forcibly to the inherent worth and value of women. Women in the New Testament engaged in significant ministry, performing valuable service in sometimes-difficult situations. This is readily seen in the Acts of the Apostles. Both Priscilla and Aquila spoke privately to Apollos at Ephesus (Acts 18:24-26), correcting his incomplete and flawed theology. Further, women clearly played a significant role in the work of the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the Romans, Paul identified sixteen significant helpers in ministry (16:1-16), and at least ten of them were women. Who knows what the health of the church at Philippi would have been were it not for Lydia (Acts 16:13-15), apparently a benefactor to the church, and others such as Euodia and Syntyche (Phil. 4:2-3)? And of course, women made a significant contribution to Jesus’ ministry. Luke recalled with appreciation their financial support and company with Him (Luke 8:1-3).

The question at hand is not whether women are of equal value to men, nor is it whether they can minister effectively. It is, rather, the nature of their ministry in the church. More specifically, it is permissible for a woman to serve as senior pastor?

The place to begin in this, as in other biblical questions, is to ask, “What does the Bible say?” Even a cursory reading of the pertinent texts reveals three important observations: 1) there were no known women pastors in New Testament times; 2) none of the instructions regarding church order include instructions for women pastors; and 3) some texts on church order explicitly forbid women to occupy that role. Paul, in 1 Tim. 2:12, states, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man” (NIV) . This verse is introduced by a statement that women should learn “in silence,” and it is followed by the statement that “she must be silent.” The word silence means being possessed by a calmness of spirit and peaceful disposition. It is set as the opposite to “teaching” and “having authority over a man.” Paul does not expect that women will not or can not learn or teach (compare with Titus 2:3-5 and 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14,15). He states that they cannot teach or have authority over men. Thus, they cannot have a pastoral position, or perform the pastoral function, for that puts them in authority over men.

It is logical to conclude, therefore, that the issue would not be raised today if discussion of the parameters for pastoral leadership were confined to the biblical record.

Biblical Contexts

Biblical exegesis requires sensitivity to the context of a passage. When Scripture is taken out of its context, faulty conclusions and blurred perspectives result. Two matters impact this discussion significantly – the issues of literary context and cultural context. Let us first examine literary context. Each biblical writer directed his word to specific issues. The task of the biblical expositor is to determine the precise nature of those issues.

Biblical Contexts

Biblical exegesis requires sensitivity to the context of a passage. When Scripture is taken out of its context, faulty conclusions and blurred perspectives result. Two matters impact this discussion significantly – the issues of literary context and cultural context. Let us first examine literary context. Each biblical writer directed his word to specific issues. The task of the biblical expositor is to determine the precise nature of those issues.

An example of the importance of correct contextual analysis occurs in Galatians 3:28. In explaining the meaning of justification, Paul said that in Christ there is “neither Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.” The outstanding social characteristic of Christianity is that ethnic (“Jew nor Greek”), economic (“bond nor free”), and gender (“male nor female”) distinctions have no bearing on salvation, nor upon equal standing among all Christians. It is obvious that the context of the statement is its explanation of the impact of justification. This is a soteriological statement: it speaks to the doctrine of salvation. The teaching is that all believers, without regard to social distinctions, have equal access to God through Christ, and, consequently, are to be unified in the Body of Christ.

Near the end of his life, ten to fifteen years after the writing of the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul wrote to both Timothy and Titus, giving them pastoral instructions about how the church is to be organized. Both 1 Timothy and Titus provide clearly for a hierarchical approach to church order in which men rather than women were to occupy that role.

Some have pointed to Galatians 3:28 as justification for women serving as pastors. However, it is a misuse of Scripture to produce ecclesiastical patterns from soteriological passages! While Paul clearly affirms the equality of men and women in salvation, he equally and just as clearly affirms the priority of men in church leadership. There is no conflict. The contextual issue is crucial for an accurate exposition in this, as in all areas. Readers must exercise great care, therefore, to determine the nature of the issue under discussion in order to understand and apply the message relevantly today.

Organizational Patterns

Biblical teaching regarding church order goes hand in hand with its teaching regarding family order. Indeed the instructions for one often interrelate with instructions for the other.

One finds a similar tension in biblical teachings on family order that occurs in the doctrines of salvation and the church. Passages teaching the equality of women, reveal an important principle: in their standing before God and with each other, men and women are equal in several ways. First, they have equal value as persons (Gal. 3:28). Next, men and women have equal responsibility to communicate intimately in marriage relationships. This is seen in God’s plan that marriage is to be a companionship of equals (Gen. 2:24). It is never biblically warranted for either the man or the woman to depreciate the social, intellectual, physical, or spiritual companionship of a spouse. Finally, the Bible affirms the equal responsibility of men and women in propagating life (Gen. 1:28).

On the other hand, the Scriptures teach a hierarchy of responsibilities. The wife is to submit to her husband (Eph. 5:22). Some insist the introductory words “submitting yourselves to one another” (Eph. 5:21) somehow tempers the command for wives to submit, but the explicit teaching of the passage is that wives are to submit; husbands are to love. This interpretation is confirmed by the clear parallel passage in Colossians (3:18), and the teaching of Peter (1 Peter 3:1), where submission is specifically commanded of the wife. The Greek term used for submission (hypotasso) suggests a voluntary submission based on a commitment to proper order. It does not imply an organization based on inability or inferiority. Indeed, this term seems to have been chosen by Paul to honor the unique value of the wife. In a beautiful tension, he affirms both value and order, both equality and subordination.

Blended Patterns

The models for family and church interrelate. They do so for two reasons. First, these are the two God-ordained institutions in which we find the spiritual resources for full Christian maturity. Second, these two institutions have unique ability to reveal God to a world blinded by sin. Family and church share the central place in God’s economy.

The Scriptures frequently interrelate the family and the church. Paul clearly tied the two together in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. He addressed a disruption caused by some of the women in the church over hairstyles (often understood as “head covering”). In a carefully reasoned argument, Paul expressed a theological conviction. If a married woman will not proudly wear a symbol of her right relationship to her husband, her familial “head,” she forfeits her privileges of praying and prophesying in church fellowships. Her ministry in the church is directly linked to her submission to her husband. Paul’s words are forceful. Married women have no right to participate in the church service if they wish to assume the prerogative of family headship and/or if they wish to act as though they were single rather than married. Here proper family order is a prerequisite to a woman’s participation in the church.

Paul addressed men similarly in the pastoral epistles. He argued that no man has the privilege of leading the church as bishop (pastor) unless he meets certain qualifications. At least one relates to family order: the pastor must “rule his family well” (1 Tim. 3:4; Tit. 1:6). Again, Paul’s conclusion is clear and forceful. If a married man does not relate to his family properly, he forfeits his right to be pastor of the church. As before, proper family order is a prerequisite to pastoral leadership. The Bible intentionally interrelates church and family for both husbands and wives. The God-ordained leadership structure in the church is reflected in the family, and vice versa.

This understanding has implications that bear directly on the question of women pastors. Proper family relationships are a prerequisite to ministry in the church. Proper relationships require the husband to function as the head and the wife to willingly submit to his leadership. In the church, wives, submissive to their husbands, are not to “have authority or be the teacher” over men (1 Timothy 2:12). This precludes a woman serving as pastor, for to do so would be to take the place of headship.

Theological Model

Let us move the discussion to another level. The complementary principles of equality and submission are built into human structures for good reason. These principles tell us about God, for in the Godhead we see both equality and submission!

The equality element derives from God’s unity. The Old Testament affirms that there is one God, and He is to be worshiped (Ex. 20:3; Dt.6:4). Yet in both the Old and the New Testaments that unity expresses itself in a consistent plurality. Historically, orthodox Christianity has referred to this plurality as “personalities.” We refer to the interrelationships within the Godhead as the doctrine of the Trinity. Each member (“personality”) of the Godhead is equal. God the Father is not greater than God the Son or God the Holy Spirit. The same is true of each of the others. God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit are not greater than the others. Equality in the Godhead is similar to the equality present among humans. Each shares the same value, the capacity for companionship, and cooperation in specific tasks. The three persons of the Godhead share deity. In that shared deity they find perfect companionship (communication and love). They also share a common mission, that of redemption. Each of the personalities is equal in essence.

Yet, reading the Bible one is confronted by a hierarchy existing among the three. Jesus acknowledged this when He declared in John 20: 21 “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.” The Bible reveals a consistent pattern in its discussion of the tasks God undertakes. There are two primary tasks: creation and redemption. Regarding creation, God the Father planned it. Jesus spoke creation into existence and he maintains it. The Holy Spirit “hovered upon the waters” (Gen. 1:2) to complete creation’s process. In redemption the pattern continues. God the Father planned it and He elected to salvation. Jesus accomplished redemption by His death. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Jesus. Thus in the activities of God there is a division of labor and focus – what one writer called economic subordination.

The Godhead provides the unchanging model for the family and the church. There exists in each both essential equality and economic subordination. Equality is based on “who each is,” a relational, interpersonal matter. Subordination is based on “what each does,” a task oriented, functional matter. Both elements are present and are to be acknowledged in practice. Organizational subordination requires the recognition and appreciation of essential equality. Each is to value the worth of other. Communication and love is to characterize internal relationships, and each person must focus jointly on the task. When this occurs, there will be no jealousy, strife, contention, or claims of superiority or inferiority.

Summary: Should Women Be Pastors?

We have seen that the explicit texts of Scripture forbid women to serve as pastors. The biblical model for family roles supports that stance as well. It is not a matter of inferiority or worth, for all persons are of equal worth in their persons, reflecting the essential equality of the Godhead. It is a matter of function. There is no compelling reason to encourage women as pastors, and there are many reasons not to do so.

Common Objections to this Teaching

Some object to these conclusions, suggesting the following:

The Apostle Paul did not really take Gal. 3:28 seriously.

Some reason that if he had, he would have allowed all persons to have the same functions in the church. Although this is a complex issue, some observations are in order. The most obvious is that Paul frequently addressed the issue of gender in the church. Sometimes his discussion was occasioned by specific problems that arose, and there is always a pattern of consistency in his solutions: they all involve the issue of women’s subordination. The pattern is found in each of the passages that deal with church order.

There is further evidence that Paul treated the gender issue uniquely among relationships in the church. In the culturally complex mix of first century churches, there was constant vying for power and leadership. For example, the church at Rome was divided at least in part over the questions of Jew/Gentile prerogatives. The emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in a.d. 49. They were allowed to return in a.d. 52, slightly before Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. Officially, the Romans disliked Jews, and racial tensions were most pronounced. These issues threatened the church. Paul, therefore, appealed to their equality in Christ. Another example is the explosive issue of slavery. Paul appealed to Philemon to forgive his runaway slave Onesimus as a brother in Christ. In his letter, he consistently carried out the soteriological implications of justification by faith.

On the other hand, when the problems involved church organization, Paul took a hierarchical approach. In the above examples, Paul never addressed the issue of whether Jews or Gentiles, or slaves or masters, could be pastors. Racial and economic circumstances did not matter. However, male/female relationships did have significance in organizational hierarchy. When Paul addressed them, he appealed to the model of the Godhead and expected that the church would apply both the dimensions of essential equality and economic subordination.

This is purely a cultural matter: Paul lived in a culture where women were expected to be subordinate.

This issue also has many dimensions. Most agree that Rabbinic Jews had a higher regard for men than for women, though it is possible to cite evidences to the contrary. While some elements of Paul’s’ teaching on this subject are consistent with his Rabbinic background, on other occasions he set aside unnecessary Jewish traditions for the sake of the growth of an indigenous church. For example, he was the champion of grace rather than law, and at his initiative, the Jerusalem council confirmed that Jewish traditions were not necessarily biblical sanctions (Acts 15:8-11). Paul defended the right of Gentiles to develop Gentile church patterns. Though he was able to see beyond his Rabbinic background, yet he taught a functional hierarchy in the church. Why? Because his convictions were grounded in Scripture, and not simply inherited from his Jewish background.

A case illustrating this is found in 1 Corinthians 11. Some women in the church were imitating the religious leadership of the Greek women in the community. These Greek women seduced men for “religious” sexual acts in the name of their gods. In their “religious” service, these women disregarded marriage relationships. Some women at Corinth also took initiative in the worship services, disregarding their relationships with their husbands. In addressing that church problem, Paul had the perfect opportunity to commend a form of church order that allowed for women in pastoral leadership. It certainly would have been relevant to the issue. Paul’s argument was instructive. Rather than arguing Jewish culture against Greek culture, he tied his organizational instructions to his understanding of the hierarchy of the Godhead. As the relationships among the Trinity are supra cultural, so are those in the Christian family and the Church of Jesus Christ.

The biblical prohibitions against women pastors are given because women were not as well educated as men.

In the passages already surveyed, two principles are evident. First, Paul did not choose to argue for men pastors based on education. Education never entered the discussion either as a problem or a solution. Women may have been less educated, but surely there were uneducated men in the churches of the first century as well. Yet, Paul did not explicitly forbid them to lead. It is extremely difficult to argue that education was at the heart of Paul’s ecclesiastical instruction.

Further, in the problem of the women in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul linked his argument for church order on proper family relationships, not on education. He allowed women to pray and speak, but only if their relationships with their husbands were proper. There is little discussion in Scripture of the educational qualifications of the pastor.

It is easy for the man to hold to a hierarchical position since men are not required to submit.

This objection betrays a shallow perspective on submission. In fact, everyone is required to voluntarily submit to someone else, thus everyone is capable of understanding subordination. In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul assumed this principle as a starting point (1 Cor. 11:2). The wife submits to her husband. The husband submits to the Lord Jesus. Jesus submits to God. In His submission to God the Father, Jesus identified with both man and woman. In submission to the Lordship of Christ, men identify with the submissive role of women. Additionally, because each is called to submit to someone else, each should treat those who submit to them with the respect that allows for their complete fulfillment. These two principles combine to perfect community and understanding. Personal fulfillment is achieved in and through submission, and everyone is equal in the requirement for obedience.

The hierarchical organizational patterns are only necessary because of sin; that is, if people had never sinned, there would be perfect functional equality.

A corollary idea is that since Christians are to reverse the sinful order, the church ought to practice functional equality between the sexes, without regard to the culture of the world.

This argument fails to account adequately for Paul’s treatment of the issue. It also fails to understand the theological model. True, Paul appealed to the sinful “order” (condition) in a parallel discussion (1 Tim. 2: 14, although 2:13 refers to the creation order as well). Yet, he did not always do so. In 1 Cor. 11:3 he appealed to the order of creation, not to the condition of sin. He clearly associates the need for such hierarchy to creation, time, and our humanness; not to sin.

Again, Paul understood economic subordination to exist in the Godhead (1 Cor. 11:3). Since none of the personalities of God ever sinned, this order could not be because of sin. It was a task subordination appropriate for time – for the human perspective. In accepting the organizational hierarchy, the church is actually operating consistently with the Godhead. This is confirmed in that Paul appeals, not to sin, but to a “pre-sin” order, the “order of creation.” Thus, his argument is based on a situation that existed prior to creation, and the model prescribed in the Scripture is not the result of the sinful human condition.

Conclusion

Someday neither the church nor the family will operate with such economic subordination. Marriage is only an earthly economy (Matt. 22:30). The church is the bride of Christ and will have a corporate beauty in the image of God (Eph. 4:11-16; Eph. 5:25-27). Perhaps this, too, is analogous to the Godhead since someday “God will be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). Prior to the eternal state, however, there is a demand for functional organization. The organization prescribed for churches pictures God’s functional organization in the Godhead. Therefore, based upon these texts and models, a woman’s spiritual service is to be in those roles assigned her by God. These do not include the role of pastor.

Of all people, Christians should accept God’s will in the most Christian of all institutions: the church and the family. These matters call for careful and prayerful analysis, for there is more at stake than initially meets the eye!

Richard R. Melick, Jr. is professor of New Testament and provost of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He authored the first of Broadman’s The New American Commentary series, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, and serves as consulting editor for the series. He wrote this article at the request of SBC LIFE.

Wikipedia

Christine Hayes is the Robert F. and Patricia Ross Weis Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, former Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and one of the foremost American academics focusing on talmudic-midrashic studies and Classical Judaica. She is also a specialist in the History and Literature of Judaism in Late Antiquity.

Before her appointment at Yale, she served as the Assistant Professor of Hebrew Studies, Department of Near Eastern Studies, at Princeton University from 1993 to 1996. She has published several books and numerous articles in American and international academic journals, and has received academic accolades. Her class on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) was selected for the pilot program of “Yale University Open Courses,” and has subsequently been one of the most watched online courses about Classical Judaica.

Videos

Videos – NO

This week, Ron has a discussion with Dr William Welty on Sept 23rd 2017 and digs into the language of the scriptures. Are we indeed seeing the Revelation Sign fulfilled in the next 24 hours? Ron and William will take this all into ‘The Forge.’‘The Forge’ with Ron Matsen, is a new program from Koinonia House dedicated to hammering out the issues using God’s word.1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Our desire is take your questions into ‘The Forge’ and hammer, sharpen, and test all things in accordance with God’s word.

September 23rd, 2017, The Great Sign – The Forge with Ron Matsen #4Does Revelation 12 predict an astrological event? Is this event the trigger point for ‘The Rapture’? Join Ron Matsen as he takes the September 23rd 2017 prophecies into ‘The Forge.’Publisher :- Koinonia House
Publish Date :- 2017-July-31stLink

Videos – Yes

Scott Clarke

Scott Clarke on The September 23rd 2017 ‘Great Sign’ – The Forge with Ron Matsen #5
Published :- 2017-August-3rdLink

The Revelation 12 Sign in 5 Minutes! September 23 2017 Alignment Explained What you need to know
Published :- 2017-June-15thLink

Indepth

Scripture References

Revelations 12:1-5

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: ( Revelations 12:1 )

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. ( Revelations 12:2 )

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ( Revelations 12:3 )

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. ( Revelations 12:4 )

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. ( Revelations 12:5 )

Genesis 1:14 ( Signs – Mazzaroth )

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years ( Genesis 1:14 )

Job 38:31-32 ( Signs – Mazzaroth )

“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion? ( Genesis 38:31 )

Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? ( Genesis 38:32 )

Timeline

Sept 23rd, 2017

Conclusion?

Woman & Child

Signs in the Sky

Interpretation Assumptions

William P. Welty, Ph.D.

Studied Under

Walter Kaiser

Gleason Archer

Witnessing to All Nations, yet fall away ( Matthew 24:10-12 )

At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another

and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.… ( matthew 24:12 )

Background

And, that is reason enough to see what people are saying and why they are saying it.

Predication

Introduction

We all have our own bias and depositions.

And, it is best to lay them bare ahead of time.

Most of my comments will be based on what I have heard from others prior to anything that I will cover in this post.

It is often useful to have some foundational predisposition as that lessens the opportunity to be swayed within each decision point.

Even better when commentators are not even speaking specifically on the new material.

Earlier Words

Damon Thompson

Sometimes God places something in our heart, but unfortunately so much of what has gone out in the Prophetic World was not undergirded in scripture

And, so I, Damon Thompson, need the foundation of Scripture

Neil Ellis

This is a Church of matured faith

You have been preaching, but you were fearful of how the preaching will be accepted

Sometimes the Devil magnifies things and makes them appear more than they really are

Sometimes as a pastor what makes us press even though there is “Hell on the Outside” is that we are satisfied that we have the confidence of the people inside

Can the Lord trust you, and can the Bishop/Leadership depend on you?

Free your Spirit, but challenge your people

A faith that has not been tested, is a faith that can not be trusted

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Sotomayor was asked to explain her remarks from a 2001 speech in which she said she agreed that “there is no objective stance but only a series of perspectives — no neutrality, no escape from choice in judging.” She told the committee that, in every case, the two opposing parties view the facts from vastly different perspectives. “You can’t just throw up your hands and say I’m not going to rule,” she said. There is a choice in judging, which means “you have to rule.”

Videos

Here are some of the videos that I will later comment on.

Paula White

Trump’s spiritual adviser: More devout than you…Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser, televangelist Paula White, spoke to CNN’s Erin Burnett in August about the Republican presidential nominee’s faith and the phone call that kicked off their friendship.Channel :- CNNPublished On :- 2016-Oct-20thLink

Inauguration

Meet The Woman Who Many Call President Elect Donald Trump’s Spiritual Adviser | NBC Nightly NewsCritics have slammed her as a charlatan, but in a rare interview with NBC’s Anne Thompson, Paula White defends her message and gives insight into the president-elect’s beliefs.Channel :- NBC News
Published On :- 2017-Jan-19thLink

RWW News: Paula White Says Opposition To President Trump Is Opposition To God
Published On :- 2017-August-21stLink

Pastor Jamal Bryant

Pastor Jamal Bryant – The problem with Paula White…
Published On :- 2017-August-25thLink

Roland Martin

Roland Martin To Paula White: Be A Prophetic Voice And Don’t Just Be A Profitable VoiceRoland Martin rips Pastor Paula White for her partisan comments about Donald Trump: Be a prophetic voice and don’t just be a profitable voice.Published On :- 2017-August-23thLink

Leadership

Seated Under

Those in leadership do not always get to take a day off.

Not only does what they think matter, but also how they got there.

I have grown from listening in person or via youtube to the people listed above.

And, that makes me forever grateful.

Influencing Capital

The further we grow, the more influencing capital we personally have and have access to.

After long and hard battles our role will be examined; especially if our role is seen to have moved the needle towards an unexpected end.

Unfortunately it is not just our choice that is examined, but the totality of our live.

Circumference of Relationships

Relationships often covers so much space.

And, some of those spaces overlap and are not necessarily disjointed.

And, so even within a body, for instance Faith community, uniformity does not necessarily translate to conformity.

People sometimes reach different conclusions and they should be free to do so.

This is more so where there are personal relationships with those that are being discussed.

In Essentials Unity, In Nonessentials Liberty, In All Things Charity

Link
Philip Schaff, the distinguished nineteenth-century church historian, calls the saying in our title “the watchword of Christian peacemakers” (History of the Christian Church, vol. 7, p. 650). Often attributed to great theologians such as Augustine, it comes from an otherwise undistinguished German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century, Rupertus Meldenius. The phrase occurs in a tract on Christian unity written (circa 1627) during the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), a bloody time in European history in which religious tensionsplayed a significant role.

Sola Scriptura

Laws of Social Responsibility
If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people. ( Exodus 22:27-28 )

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

But those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult the high priest of God!”
“Brothers, Paul replied, “I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
( Acts 23:4-5 )

David, Saul, Jonathan, & Mephibosheth

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. ( 2nd Samuel 19:24 )

He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. ( 2nd Samuel 19:26 )

He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. ( 2nd Samuel 19:27 )

For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” ( 2nd Samuel 19:28 )

And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” ( 2nd Samuel 19:29 )

Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.” ( 2nd Samuel 19:30 )

Summary

In summary I find myself always returning to a couple of words :-

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad

Allah’s hand of protection is with the maintenance of unity, you should beware of division.

The one isolated from the group is a prey to Satan, just as the one isolated from the flock is a prey to the wolves

You can not base a spiritual life on suspiciousness, cursing and allocating blame.

Abraham Lincoln

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”